Mental and emotional health news from aidsmap

Good mental health was the only significant factor associated with optimal pill-taking among people taking antiretroviral therapy (ART) for the prevention of sexual
transmission of HIV, investigators from the HPTN 052 study report in the online
edition of ...

The UK government’s leading body for public health this week
launched a new framework for improving the health of gay, bisexual and other
men who have sex with men (MSM). Notably the document considers HIV and sexual
health alongside ...

American gay men reporting depression, childhood sexual
abuse, stimulant use, other substance use and heavy alcohol use are nine times
more likely than men without any of these issues to subsequently acquire HIV,
according to the findings of a ...

A large survey of gay and bisexual men living with HIV and
attending eight sexual health clinics in England has found that half of them
had used recreational drugs in the last three months and a quarter had ...

A quarter of Scottish gay men who are newly diagnosed with
HIV or a rectal sexually transmitted infection (STI) report two or more
vulnerabilities such as problematic alcohol use, low self-esteem, mental
health problems, social deprivation or experience of ...

Although legal and social equality for gay people is further
advanced in the Netherlands than in most other countries, Dutch gay men have
much higher rates of psychological distress than heterosexual men, Sanjay Aggarwala
and Rene Gerrets write in ...

A study presented at the 14th European AIDS Conference
last week found that the suicide rate in people with HIV in British Columbia,
Canada, had fallen 35-fold since 1996 and was now close to that in the general
population. ...

Suicidal
thoughts, attempted suicide and death by suicide were more than twice as common
amongst people with HIV who started treatment with efavirenz (Sustiva or Stocrin, also in the combination pill Atripla), but the overall risk was quite ...

Baseline
results from a longitudinal study of 235 MSM (men who have sex with men) living with HIV, aged 18 to 50, attending
an HIV clinic at the Chelsea & Westminster Hospital in London,
have found that 29% had ...

People who experience episodes of major depressive
disorder (MDD) are significantly more likely to have episodes of detectable HIV in their cerebrospinal
fluid (CSF), according to an analysis of the large CHARTER study presented as a
late-breaker poster at ...

Mental and emotional health news selected from other sources

Despite evidence that high levels of self-stigma exist among PLHIV, and is experienced to a far greater extent than stigma received from the broader community, there is a paucity of research aimed at understanding causes and functions of self-stigma, and an absence of interventions to mitigate its harmful effects. Understanding the core beliefs underlying self-stigma is therefore essential.This pilot study used a qualitative approach to analyse interviews and written statements to uncover core beliefs underlying self-stigma, the functions thereof, and strategies used to overcome it, among a heterogeneous group of PLHIV in Ireland.
See http://www.aidsmap.com/The-diminished-self-HIV-and-self-stigma/page/2657859/, which is based on this project.

A common perception held among researchers and lay-people alike is that alcohol plays a larger role in the lives of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals than for people who identify as heterosexual. But to say that a larger percentage of LGB individuals drink more often, more heavily, and with greater negative consequences may be oversimplifying the facts.

The non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor efavirenz (Sustiva, also in the Atripla single-tablet regimen) was not associated with a higher rate of suicidal thoughts or attempts in an analysis conducted by manufacturer Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS), researchers reported at the 2014 IDWeek meeting last week in Philadelphia.

“Lesbians, gays and bisexuals are more likely to have longstanding mental health problems,” The Independent reports, as well as “bad experiences with their GP”. A UK survey found striking disparities in survey responses compared to heterosexuals.

A medication commonly used to treat HIV appears to double the risk that patients will develop suicidal thoughts or take their lives, new research contends. The finding concerns the anti-HIV drug efavirenz, which is marketed as Sustiva.

Compared to the general population, people with HIV experienced lower HRQoL in all of the areas they were questioned about, but especially anxiety and depression. Being female, non-white, without children and having a lower level of education were associated with lower HRQoL. The negative effect of HIV on overall HRQoL was similar to heavy smoking.

Pregnant and early postnatal migrant women are a heterogeneous and far more diverse population group than has previously been experienced. Migrant women experiencing maternal mental health related illnesses face practical barriers and cultural factors which may prevent them from seeking help.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) among men who have sex with men (MSM) is linked to greater risk of mental and physical health symptoms, substance misuse, and sexually transmitted infections, according to a research article published in PLOS Medicine.

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